A Fondness Creeps In
by tocatchathief
Summary: Post-S5. Eliot and Parker have a complicated relationship years after leaving Portland. He thinks he's failed her as her protector, but the truth is they've both just succeeded equally well at protecting themselves. M for later chapters.
1. Goodbye girl

**Title: **A Fondness Comes Creeping In

**Chapter: **Goodbye Girl

**Pairing: **Eliot/Parker

**Rating: **PG-13

**Prompt #1:** Funeral

**A/N:** Post-finale. Even though I do ship Parker/Hardison, I think that Eliot/Parker have a lot of potential. This story will use five prompts from a table I keep at my journal. This takes place after the finale, going on the idea that Eliot, Parker, and Hardison have continued their team but also brought together Leverage International – which includes teams all over the globe.

She deserved more than this turn out. He thought to himself as he stared at the closed casket. Sophie was sitting beside him and he felt her shift and place her hand on his shoulder. Hardison was looking inconsolable in the corner, sitting beside his new girlfriend.

It was only the five of them and Eliot thought that, with all of the people Parker had helped as part of the team under Nate and under her own command, that he wished more people could have been there to appreciate her. When the service ended, Eliot stood up, his legs moving of their own accord towards Hardison.

The hacker looked up at him and whispered something to the woman at his side who excused herself and walked away.

"Brought a date to her funeral?" Eliot asked incredulously. Even though he as angry, Hardison didn't even glare at him. Parker had known Hardison was dating someone new. The two of them had called it quits over a year ago and then six months after that, Parker had sent Hardison to England to help manage a new team that they'd made contact with and wanted to improve. That's where he'd met McKenzie and Parker had met her a few times and talked about how sweet she was frequently to Eliot. He knew it was okay. It wasn't why he was mad and it wasn't Hardison that he was mad at, either.

Hardison already knew that. He was, after all, the smartest man any of them knew.

"It wasn't your fault, man," Hardison said softly.

Eliot swallowed thickly and glanced away. "Sure don't feel that way."

_**Five days ago**_**:**

_Eliot had been reluctant to let Parker go to the client meeting without him. He told her that she needed to reschedule and that they shouldn't even take the job. _

_They'd worn out their welcome in North Carolina. Too many enemies had been made. He'd received a call from an old friend in Washington D.C. who needed his help and Parker had given him the green light to go. His bags had been packed when she'd told him she was on her way out to a client meeting. He didn't think it was safe. He liked to be sure._

"_You know that even if I don't take the job, that I'll be repelling down buildings the second you cross the state line," she'd teased. He'd insisted on her giving him all of the information she had on the potential client before he left and forwarded it to Jenny – a hacker in Manhattan who owed him a favor to background check it._

_He'd been halfway to D.C. when he got the call from Jenny._

"_Eliot…the information on this guy…Are you sure it's legit?" she'd asked him. "I mean, at first glance it seems okay but when you look at some of his information it doesn't add up." She went on to explain, but he'd already turned around to head back to Wilmington._

_By the time he'd gotten there, it had been too late._

Later that night, they all sat around a bar that Hardison had paid to ensure no one else would bother them. Nate and Sophie were both eying Eliot with concern and he shifted and lifted his beer bottle to his lips to take a long swig. He didn't need to talk about it. Didn't want to talk about it.

He'd gone through his entire life saying goodbye to coworkers in friends. In the military and in his line of work, you expected the man to your left to not be there when you turned around next.

But this was different.

This was Parker.

After a few quiet moments, Sophie approached his corner of the bar and sat on the stool beside him. "Eliot."

"I know," he whispered roughly.

"You do?" Sophie asked with a certain degree of surprise.

"I broke my promise to you. I didn't protect them, didn't save her," his voice was thick with emotion that Sophie hadn't heard in his voice before.

"That's not what I was going to say," she said softly before glancing around. "I don't want to be the one to tell you this, Eliot. But Nate and Hardison both thought it would be for the safest if I did. You see, Parker…"

"I can't talk about her right now, Sophie. Okay?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Would you just keep quiet and listen to the woman?"

Eliot whipped his head around just in time to lay his eyes on Archie Leach.

The older gentleman walked in, gesturing to Sophie that she could walk away. "Parker asked me to give you this," he said simply, holding out an envelope

"When did you see her last?" Eliot asked with confusion before pulling out the sheet of paper inside and unfolding it to read a typed letter.

_El,_

_If you're reading this, you're going to be very angry with me. You arrived only moments after the explosion and even though I was unidentifiable, you were able to confirm it was my body to the authorities because you knew exactly where I was supposed to be._

_But I'm fine, Eliot. _

_I had to leave the country indefinitely for Archie on a very important job and, in the meantime, I couldn't risk having anyone after me while I work this job so we had to convince the world I was gone for good. Hardison believed that the only way to pull that off was to con you, too. I don't know why, but I wanted you to hear it from me, first. I'm going to be gone for a while, so I think that you should relocate to New York and do some work with Jenny and the Manhattan team – you're the man in charge now._

_-Parker_

He stared at the note before turning it over and reading the words neatly scrawled in Parker's handwriting:

_P.S._ _I dictated my thoughts to Sophie and that's the letter she wrote. All I told her was "I'm alive. Have to go on job. Go run New York. I don't get why she changed it._

Eliot blinked a few times, "What the fuck is all this?" he finally burst out. He looked around at the guilty expressions on Nate, Sophie, and Hardison's faces and the look of amusement on Archie's. "You all knew?"

"Well, yes," Sophie whispered softly.

Eliot felt rage coursing through his entire body, he made a move towards Hardison but Nate stepped between them. "And it was your idea to just let me go on thinking it was true? To con _me?!"_

Hardison's face was impassive for a few seconds, "Yes. Because if you didn't know the truth, your reaction would be the most convincing. We had to be sure no one would get wise and try to follow her."

"Why me?" he demanded angrily.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Sophie asked, amusement now replacing her guilt.

"The fuck are you talking about? Can you stop being cryptic? Why did _you_ phrase this letter to make it seem like she ain't coming back?"

Sophie frowned and sat down beside Eliot once again, taking his hand gently in his. "Oh, Eliot. Parker's going to be gone for quite some time, the job is very in-depth and involves a very long-term grift in addition to the heist. We had to convince you because – you're so…_fond_…of her."

Eliot frowned, he didn't necessarily like the tone to Sophie's voice when she said the word fond but ignored it. He wondered why Parker hadn't gone to Eliot for advice; he'd faked and assisted in the faking of deaths before. He would have helped instead of going through this torture.

He didn't think it made sense, that Hardison wasn't the one they'd think to con.

The hacker had been in love with the woman for years on end and even though he'd moved on, he assumed there was the bond there still. How could it have ever disappeared? Parker was crazy, but she was also alive and fun and kind and beautiful and…

Oh.

_Fond._

Fuck.

He winced and looked around at them and then at the note in his hands. He crumpled it up and tossed it aside before looking at the others. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and, without a word, stood up to walk out of the bar.

"Where are you going?" Nate asked, concern in his voice.

"To pack for New York. It's where she wants me to go, isn't it?"

The others watched the hitter walk out without so much as a word. Sophie heaved a great sigh as Nate poured himself a drink. Hardison looked down at his lap, a small sly smile creeping onto his face following Eliot's revelation. "About damn time," he mumbled. No one noticed Archie slip out until he was already gone.

She was hanging around in Moscow.

Literally. She was hanging upside down from a building, her eyes closed as she meditated the way that Eliot had once taught her how. She heard the breath in her ear, but kept her eyes closed.

"How is he?" she asked softly.

"He's angry," Archie's voice spoke over the comms. "He didn't understand he had to be the one conned. But he'll be okay. He's preparing to go to New York, the way you requested."

"I don't like that I lied to him either, I still don't understand why we thought it was a good idea to lie to any of my friends about it."

"It had to be convincing. And you even said it yourself when I came to you with this job…"

Parker frowned, "I know what I said."

"_I've never felt closer to anyone than I do to Eliot, Archie. It won't be easy to leave him behind for this long,"_ she'd admitted before Archie had asked the million-dollar question:

Do you love him?

Love was dangerous in their line of work. It didn't pay off to love. It had nearly gotten herself and Hardison killed several times. Thieves had no use for love or stealing hearts, romance wasn't lucrative. Or at least that was what she'd been telling herself since she'd refused to answer the question and took the job.

She did hate the idea that he'd sat through her entire funeral thinking she was truly dead. She wondered how sad he'd been or angry. She hoped he'd forgive her if she got the chance to see him again.

**Coming Up:** Eliot tries to adjust to life without Parker in it. Parker runs into trouble in Moscow.


	2. Contingency Plans

**Prompt #2:** Evidence  
**Chapter: **Contingency Plans

As she sprinted down the corridor, she was careful to step lightly, her feet barely touching the floor before she took off. In the distance, Parker could see the air duct entrance she'd planned on using for her escape and moved quickly to pull it out of its place.

It was screwed in tight. She hadn't been counting on that.

She glanced around quickly, trying to find another way to escape. She'd gotten everything she'd come for and she wasn't about to end up stuck and ruining the entire thing – no way. She wouldn't quit.

Eliot's footsteps were heavy as he trudged into the Manhattan base of Leverage Inc. His hand was wrapped around the wrist of a slender safe-cracking thief.

"Unhand me!" she gasped. Her dark hair fell into her face and she scowled up at him with blue-grey eyes. Erika was the Manhattan office's resident thief and, years ago, Eliot probably could have enjoyed her company. She was quiet, no-nonsense and emotionally closed off from the team.

"What happened?" Jenny asked with exasperation, not looking up from the hard drive she was tinkering with.

"What happened is Ms. Klepto here couldn't keep to the plan," Eliot snarled.

"I improvised!" she insisted.

"The job was to go in, plant the paperwork to get the mark suspicious of his accomplices and get out so they'd never know anyone was there. But now having that missing from the office is going to be a big red flag that something isn't right!" he countered, gesturing to her bag, full of stacks of cash.

"They'll probably just blame each other and it'll make our job go faster."

"We don't have room for probably. There's some kid who wants the people who caused his fathers death brought to justice. I'm not letting that go just because you can't your sticky hands to yourself for a job." He frowned at her, "You're one of the good guys now, okay? You have to understand that, it ain't easy by a long shot. But you've got to try harder."

Erika, who'd been startled by just how heated Eliot had become just nodded and turned to leave, but Eliot reached down and snagged the bag. "This'll be good money to put into the client's college fund. Thanks," he added dryly before gesturing for her to go.

When the brunette walked out in a huff, Eliot heard Jenny snicker and turned around to look at her. "What?"

"Listen, boss, I'm not saying that what she did was right – it wasn't. But she's new and she's still getting used to this."

"We need a thief who can handle this line of work without being distracted," Eliot groused.

"Well if you'd stop replacing all of our thieves because they're not Parker, we could probably get more training done," the hacker pointed out before looking at him pointedly. Eliot frowned, knowing that she had a point. Parker had been gone for two months and in that time three thieves had left the New York team – one had gone to Los Angeles, another to the London team and another had retired. Eliot knew his tendency to be tough on the team thief had something to do with it.

Still, he refused to admit this and shrugged it off. Thankfully, Jenny was smart enough to drop the subject.

* * *

_**One year ago:**_

"_Wes, dear," Alice cooed as they sat together at their table at the elaborate black tie affair. "Would you mind getting me another drink?"_

_Dr. Wes Abernathy gazed at Alice White, soon-to-be-Abernathy before the corners of his mouth twitched up. "Sure thing, darlin'," he drawled before kissing the top of her head while he stood. Her hair smelt like jasmine and honey and it reminded him that they were out of honey at home and she'd taken to drinking that in her tea._

_Later in the night, when the job was over – Wes and Alice would retire for the evening and Eliot would take Parker back to their Phoenix headquarters, make her some tea, and go over the progress of the other teams with Hardison. _

_At first, Eliot had been worried that Parker and Hardison's recent split would have been hard on the team, but they were getting along well even if Hardison was planning on transferring to the Leverage European division. He was worried about being without the hacker, but knew they could handle it. Parker had been the right call on Nate's part. She was usually five steps ahead of everyone else and had eight contingency plans in place in case things fell apart. She was better with technology than Eliot was, even if no one was as good as Hardison, and she'd gotten to be brilliant with the grift as well._

_When he returned to the table with a drink for Alice, he found a gaze that was distinctly Parker on her face. He knew what it meant – she'd securely stolen the small key they needed from their mark. He placed the drink down in front of her and barely had time to react when her hand grasped the back of his neck and pulled him close. Their mouths met and when she ran her tongue over his lower lip, he granted her access. Nothing too inappropriate for their public setting – enough to convince their "friends" that Alice and Wes were newly engaged. Enough for her use her tongue to push the key from Parker's mouth into Eliot's._

_As they parted, he chuckled and wiped his mouth, carefully and discretely extracting the key. "Well, darlin', what do you say I hit the mens room and then I take you home so we can finish what you just started. Meet me at the valet in ten minutes."_

_Alice White giggled up at her fiancé._

_Taking that as a yes, Wes bid everyone goodnight and Eliot left with the key to take out the security guards that were guarding the evidence they needed to extract for their client so that they could sue the company that had taken their house._

_He tried his best to ignore what had just happened – the fact that he'd subconsciously filed away the fact that Parker's lips tasted like strawberry. He tried to push it all onto his alias, convincing himself that Wes Abernathy was just very fond of his soon-to-be-wife and it was all part of the character._

* * *

Eliot was normally strictly a coffee drinker, or he had been. Since relocating to New York, he usually interrupted his coffee intake to have a cup of tea with honey in it.

Jenny often remarked that he should own his own farm and grow strawberries, the rate he went through them as if they were the majority of his diet. She said it with a tone that indicated she knew something no one else did.

He ignored it.

There was nothing to know.

Maybe, if he told himself that enough – he'd stop missing Parker. He could convince himself it was all part of the job.

* * *

Parker had found a space in the building to lay low for a while, but she'd already overstayed her welcome. The original plan was supposed to have had her out of the building an hour ago. But the air ducts hadn't been kept the way the building plan had indicated. Someone had been expecting her and she was totally and utterly fucked.

Security guards seemed to know she was in the building but weren't in pursuit and that spelt trouble. They were in no rush.

Frowning, Parker took her few moments of safehaven to remove her boots and pull out a some things she kept stashed inside of them. All together, she had the parts to make three identical-looking cell phones. She scrutinized the pieces to make sure that she was assembling the right one and put it together, dialing the only number she had stored in the store-bought burn phone that had been tweaked by a hacker in the Paris office for her immediately after faking her own death.

It rang once, twice, three times before she answered.

"It's me. Change in plans."

* * *

Eliot had fallen asleep on the couch, his mug of tea nearly empty and cold. His eyes were still closed, "Don't even think about it," he said in a harsh whisper.

Erika retracted her hand and scowled, "How do you always do that?"

"Sweetheart, I've had better thieves than you try to lift my wallet for practice. She only got it once and I'd been drugged by a mark who got suspicious. You're never gonna get it," he mused before feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Reaching for it, he glanced at the caller ID.

"Sophie, what's up?"

"Eliot, darling!" she cooed, she was relieved to hear his voice. They'd barely spoken since the faux funeral. "I need to ask you a favor. Do you have any reliable contacts in Moscow?"

Eliot frowned, "Yeah, but they're not guys you want to tangle with unless you have to. And since you and Nate are on the up-and-up now, I highly doubt I need to call one of them to set up the tent for your kid's birthday party."

"Eliot, don't be silly. This is just a little job for an old friend of mine from Paris."

Sophie was a talented grifter but she could be a horrible actress when she wasn't fully invested in the con. She wasn't invested in lying to Eliot.

"So tell me, Sophie, what is Parker doing in Moscow?"

"She won't give us all of the details, but the job's gone south and she needs someone to come in and get _her_ out now."

Eliot couldn't help but let out a growl but sighed, "Alright, I know the perfect guy. But I need details on what to tell him."

* * *

**_A year and a half ago:_**

_She was running as though the devil were on her heels. She only had about fifty yards to go. Only had to reach the elevator shaft and pry it open. Hardison would send the lift flying up with her on top, fooling the mark into think she was coming out on the twenty-second floor when she was really climbing up to the twenty-third. Then she could pry open the window and repel down. But for such a large man, the security guard on her tail was fast as a bat out of hell._

_Then she heard it, the unmistakable sounds and shrieks of pain and surprise along with a grunt that was very familiar. He was right behind her, taking out whoever was threatening to slow her down. She remembered the promise he'd made to Sophie – to protect them with his life. She took a deep breath knowing damn well that the guard was armed and Eliot wasn't. That was never a problem before, but since her family had dwindled from five to three, she felt more protective._

_The two men stumbled around the corner, Eliot kicking the guard's gun away and crushing his opponent's hands beneath his heel as he howled out for mercy._

"_Goddammit, run!" Eliot commanded her, knowing the whole deal had gone south fifteen minutes ago and she had to get out with the lock box she'd just lifted. She didn't move right away and he all but growled, "I'll be right behind you," he promised and met her gaze. "I promise!"_

_He'd kept his promise, and on their way home she insisted that they stop so she could buy an ice cream cone and they laughed the whole way, doing imitations of the security guard. "He should be a comedien," she insisted before scrunching up her face and deepening her voice slightly, "'Oh no, my arm! My arm! Please God!'" Parker imitated as though it were the funniest thing in the world, as the two most important people in her life chuckled at her – the hitter at her side and the hacker in her earpiece. _

* * *

Parker felt like a rat in a maze and she didn't like that at all. Because in this case the cheese was chasing her. Or something. She wasn't really the best at thinking of metaphors on her feet. She was currently trying her best to stay five steps ahead of security.

Then she heard it, the noise of a scuffle. No, not a scuffle, it was a full out brawl. She remembered hearing sounds similar to those on many previous jobs when a certain hitter had been raising hell to get to her and make sure that they'd all get out safe.

The sound almost comforted her until she found herself wondering who it could be. She took a deep breath, hoping Sophie had effectively found her the help she needed. But she realized, when the sounds of the fight subsided, she couldn't possibly know who had prevailed. She only ever trusted one man to always prevail in reaching her.

She sucked in a deep breath and braced herself for a run when she heard footsteps slow to a halt outside of the door she was hiding behind. The door was pulled open and her eyes went wide. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"A favor for a friend," Quinn replied simply. "We have approximately five minutes before his back up arrives, I was banking on three though – it was easier to find you than I'd assumed." The other hitter eyed her. "What do you need to get before we go?"

"I don't need to _get_ anything. I came here to _leave_ something."

"Planting evidence instead of stealing it?" he asked, a tinge of amusement in his voice. "The thief truly has become a mastermind."

"Why did Sophie call you?" she asked incredulously.

"She didn't."

"Eliot," she realized out loud. Parker froze and frowned. Well she didn't have a contingency plan for that.

Quinn glanced at his watch and frowned before wrapping a hand around Parker's arm and pulling him along with her. "Escape window is closing. Time to go, fret over Loverboy later."

* * *

**Coming Up:** Eliot and Parker find that their paths have crossed once again. But it's not a happy reunion at first.


	3. A Family Reunion

**Prompt #23:** Protection  
**Chapter: **A Family Reunion

* * *

"Don't…" Parker ignored the voice but felt the knife she'd been examining quickly yet carefully extracted from her grasp. "…touch," Quinn grumbled before sheathing the blade and focusing on keeping look out. "So tell me, what's the next stop on this con of yours."

"None of your business," Parker said simply. "Thank you for your assistance, but you can go now."

"Can't say I can. You see, I was paid good money to see this through and watch you every step of the way. I'm your protection for this job, whether you like it or not."

Parker scowled for a moment before her expression softened, wondering just how much Eliot had offered the other hitter for his services in keeping her safe. Money was something she'd always valued immensely. The fact that Eliot would have offered up so much of it for her safe return…she didn't ask Quinn how much – she was far too worried what the numerical value would do to her already complicated emotions. So she shoved it all aside.

"I took care of everything I needed to here," she said simply. "I'll be ready to move in twenty minutes."

"Where to?"

"You'll find out once we arrive," she said simply, not trusting Quinn enough to bring him in on the extent and details of her job. "We won't be more than three days, I have an important engagement back in Boston that I can't miss," she explained, deciding that was all he'd get.

* * *

Hardison was reluctant to meet with Eliot – not because he didn't want to see his friend, but because of how angry Eliot had been the last time they'd seen each other. They'd spoken a few times but only in the background of his calls with Jenny when the less-experienced hacker needed a tip from New York.

Still, he walked into the Manhattan bar and quickly was able to spot his friend and sit beside him. He was more than surprised to see that Eliot didn't appear angry at all, he seemed tense instead.

"Hey man, how're you doing?"

Eliot shrugged a shoulder and pushed a beer at Hardison that he'd already ordered for the Hacker. "How's your girl?" Eliot finally asked gruffly.

"She's doing real good, she's happy to be coming back to the States to see everyone again, to meet you under more pleasant circumstances." Hardison paused and took a sip from his glass. "I haven't heard anything about your girl yet, though."

When Eliot looked up at Hardison with a look of complete surprise, everything clicked for him. "Man. What Parker and I had – it was great. It was like having a best friend that you could also be in love with. But it was complicated. I could only love the pieces of her that she showed me and after a while, it was too much for both of us – asking her to share and asking me to go without."

Eliot looked at his friend for a moment.

"I just want Parker to be happy," Hardison finally said point blank. "You're always gonna be my brother."

"Yeah, well," Eliot said suddenly, feigning dismissiveness. "She hasn't called, so I don't know how happy I could even make her if that was in the cards. She took off and sent me on my way to New York. I think that makes it pretty clear that I ain't got a right to be waitin' on her.."

"This is why I'm always called the smart one," Hardison winked despite Eliot's scowl.

The two clinked their glasses against each other's and tried their best to slip into easy conversation that somehow bounced and balanced perfectly between World of War Craft and the World Series.

* * *

Mélanie was nearly as happy as any child could be as she skipped around her spacious backyard, chasing after her friends. She was wearing her favorite party dress that looked almost like one that her mother owned, and her curly dark hair was flying behind her as she squealed and gave chase with the others.

Her seventh birthday party was everything a normal child could have wanted.

But she wasn't so normal. Every now and then, she would glance towards the patio at her parents who were watching happily as children from all over the neighborhood bounced in the large inflatable castle they'd rented, took a pony ride, or stood ready to have their faces painted. She was waiting to see her most favorite familiar faces.

Luckily, as she was making another circle around the cotton candy machine – her mother had refused to spare a single expense when planning her party – she saw one of the people she'd been expecting.

She stopped dead in her tracks for a moment before jumping in the air and hurling herself towards him. He was lugging a cooler with him put promptly dropped it in time to scoop her up as she squealed. "Uncle Eliot!"

"Hey princess," he grinned at her and pressed a kiss to her temple. "How's it feel to be seven years old?"

"Same as six," she replied honestly, smiling at his warm chuckle. "Mommy and Daddy will be so happy that you're here."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world darlin'. Why don't you lead me to 'em?"

And with that, he placed her down and Mélanie Ford took his hand and lead him towards the patio to her parents, Nate and Sophie, who did indeed greet Eliot warmly. Before Eliot could even remember the cooler he'd left near the gate or the present in his pocket, Mélanie squealed again and took off like a rocket towards her Uncle Hardison and his new girlfriend – a new friend for her to have.

Eliot smiled at the little thing as she took off. He remembered that occasions in Nate and Sophie's lives had originally thought to be off limits. They knew that if Sterling or their more threatening enemies were looking for them, the Ford-Devereaux wedding would be off limits. But Parker had held stubborn and threatened to scale the Church and observe from the rafters. When Sophie became pregnant with Mélanie, not a single member of the original Leverage team knew if they'd be safer or in more danger with them around.

Again, Parker refused to came away – working out many details with Nate to ensure that they would be able to meet the little girl. When Eliot had warily asked Nate why he'd agreed to such a thing, Nate had told him that he had put many security measures in place to keep them safe before leaving the cons behind and he wouldn't deprive Mélanie or Parker of their real families.

Hardison helped Eliot lug over the cooler he'd originally been carrying in – it was full of some extra food to grill for the guests and a case of beer for when the party died down and it became a reunion. _A reunion missing a member_, he thought darkly before he was pulled into a conversation with a pretty single mother. The woman couldn't stop touching his arm and he forced himself to fall into the easy routine of flirting with her.

The woman had essentially situated herself in his lap on a patio chair when he heard Mélanie squeal again.

"AUNT PARKER!"

His eyes shot up and his eyes landed on her in no time. Her eyes shone as she bent down to hug the little girl and her smile was genuine, but her body language indicated how exhausted she was and when she straightened up to take a step, he didn't miss the way she didn't fully shift her weight to one side. She was hurt.

He was even more surprised when Quinn slid into the yard behind her, gently holding her arm to steady her as she walked.

Their eyes met and he looked at her with confusion before she squinted and quickly looked away. That was when he remembered there was a redhead in his lap.

She quickly darted into the house to see if she could find Sophie, presumably, based on the pure squeals of delight he heard from the two grown woman inside only moments later.

Quinn took that time to approach him. "Well, there you have it." The redhead seemed to take the start of a conversation she didn't understand as her cue to go check on her child.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Eliot hissed. He already thought it was dangerous enough for the team to gather there; Nate's contingencies surely didn't cover second hitters twice removed.

"The job was to see her home safely," Quinn said simply. "I figured that entailed getting her back to you." The other hitter offered a wink before quietly turning around without another word. "Will be expecting the wire transfer within the hour," he called back over his shoulder before disappearing out of the yard.

After a call to an associate of his to take care of some wired money, he set to work trying to find Parker and talk to her. It didn't help that the single mother from earlier continually ran interference and Parker seemed to be trying to keep herself constantly as far from him in the yard as possible.

He grumbled and none-too-gently rejected the other woman's offer to go home with her while her kid had a sleepover party and separated himself from her. Parker saw, but didn't approach him. She was acting as skittish around him as a newborn calf and he hated it.

When the party began to thin out, he knew she couldn't stay away from him for long. It didn't stop the headstrong thief from trying though and when she tried to step past him while Hardison helped Sophie clean and Nate put his exhausted and happy daughter to bed, he reached out quickly to grab her arm and haul her across the yard.

"She was pretty," Parker said dully before he could speak. "Why didn't you go home with her?"

"Because," he answered lamely, not able to find words considering her first words to him in months shocked him.

"She reminded me of that girl. Horse girl." _Aimee_,Eliot thought to himself. He knew full well that Parker remembered her name and wondered why she wouldn't say it.

He shrugged before meeting her eyes. "Why?"

"Probably the hair color."

He shook his head, he knew she was just yanking him around and really knew what he wanted to ask. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"I had a job to run." She shook her arm free.

"That's your reason for going, not your reason for lying to me. For making me think you were…" he broke off and frowned at her. "I may not be the grifter that Sophie is or the genius that Hardison is – but I could have figured out a way to act through it or at least figured out a way to have gone with you and protected you."

She frowned at him, "I didn't need anyone else there," she insisted.

"Really? Because I remember calling Quinn from Moscow to have him go after you. Or was that just to give you some charming company?" he practically snarled.

"Why are you so upset?" she asked him sharply, playing dumb.

"Because I thought you were dead," he roared, gaining the attention of Hardison, Sophie, McKenzie, and Nate who was sliding the back door of his spacious home shut after tucking his daughter in. "I thought you were dead. I got the call from Jenny saying that none of your 'client' information checked out and raced back to Wilmington like the devil was on my tail and when I got there, there was just this wreckage. These burned and charred remains and I thought it was," he broke off, his voice growing thick with emotion and gruff. He glanced away, "Because I couldn't get there in time, Parker. All because you were using me to con the people who really wanted to kill you. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? They could have figured it out and found you. You could've really gotten yourself killed. That's why we've been a team for so long."

Parker looked up at him for a moment, her expression softening before she shook her head and frowned at him. "No, you don't get to pull that Eliot. You let Nate and Sophie go when they decided to leave the jobs behind. You didn't get protective of Hardison when he left the country to run his own team. I'm not weak, I don't need you to protect me all the time – after all of these years, you'd think you'd know that."

"I do know that!" he barked back. "But maybe _I_ need _you_ even if you don't need me. But don't worry, Parker, got the message loud and clear when you took off and sent me out to New York."

The silence in the yard was palpable.

"Eliot," she said softly, reaching out to touch his arm, but he stepped away and stormed out of the yard, out the gate to head out to his truck parked on the street.

He was halfway down the driveway when the tiny voice stopped him in his tracks. "Uncle Eliot!"

He turned around just in time to see Mélanie, barefoot and in her bright pink pajamas. She launched herself from the front porch across the lawn and into his arms.

"Why are you outta bed?"

"Why are you yelling so much?"

He didn't answer and so she wound her arms around his neck tightly. "You can't go home. Daddy promised you'd all stay and that you'd make me your special Oreo peanut butter pancakes tomorrow," she pouted and Eliot heaved a great sigh, unable to look at those big brown eyes and disappoint her.

Glancing past her, briefly, he noted that Sophie, Nate, Parker, and Hardison were all standing by the gate watching him and he swallowed thickly. "Alright, let's get you back to bed."

"Are you going to leave after?" she pouted.

"Only if your folks don't have the groceries I need to make breakfast tomorrow. And then I'll get 'em and come right back, darlin'," he drawled before carrying her back inside to tuck her safely back in bed.


	4. Questions and Answers

**Prompt #3:** I'm here  
**Chapter:** Questions and Answers  
**Warning: Smut.**

The house was dark and silent. With the blinds drawn, the guest room where Eliot was staying was shrouded in total darkness. If it had been anyone but him standing there, it might have gone unnoticed.

"What?" he asked with irritation in his tone.

The blinds of the window slid up, moonlight streaming in and outlining her silhouette in a silvery blue.

"I didn't know you were awake," Parker said softly before crossing over as he sat up in bed. Of course he'd been awake. He rarely slept and even when he did, it wasn't a sound sleep. He was always aware of his surroundings.

"What, Parker?" he asked again, his voice gruff.

She moved gracefully from her spot in front of the window to the edge of the bed, moving to sit on it with one foot still on the floor and one bent beneath her. He'd had a few dreams that had started like this in the past, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. As his eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness, he met her gaze.

"I wanted to…explain," she said softly, averting her gaze. And that was Parker. Not Parker the thief or Parker the mastermind. It was the Parker they'd found crying after Rand had done a cold reading on her and uncovered raw emotions about her brother. The Parker that had so desperately wanted to find some answers while posing as a patient in rehab. It was the Parker that, despite himself, tugged at his heartstrings the most.

His expression softened and he let out a breath, "Fine. Explain."

"Archie came to me with a job. An emergency. His daughter's husband is ex-military and somehow he got tangled up in a mess – threats were coming in against the whole family. They learned who Archie was and they made him a deal." Her gaze was focused down on the comforter where she traced an imaginary pattern with her finger. "He was worried about his family and I knew I could help but…they knew about me. Not just me as a thief, but us and what we do – I was a liability for the whole job and there were eyes on us – you, me, even Hardison out in London," she shook her head. "So I knew the only way I would be able to get in and keep you out of it is if they never saw me coming and if none of our former marks from Wilmington knew that I was on the move, it would have put everyone in danger."

"I could have come with you and helped," he protested.

"Dammit, Eliot!" she whispered harshly, effectively silencing him. "Don't you get it – for once I was trying to protect _you_." She looked up and met his eyes, inching closer. "I thought if you knew right away that it was all a con, you'd come after me and I'd never forgive myself if something happened. I knew if I fooled you and you found out, you'd be mad and probably not come after me. It wasn't a smash and grab, it was infiltration and heist. Slip in, slip out unnoticed, let it all solve itself. I was better off doing this alone."

Eliot watched her for a moment before reaching out and gripping her shoulders, hauling her closer to pull her into his arms. "That's some real Parker logic, right there," he said gruffly. "You think I didn't try to go after you? Hardison, Nate, Sophie, Jenny, Archie – they all put up roadblocks for me every way I turned. When Sophie told me you were in Moscow, my first instinct was to go, but Jenny and Hardison put blocks and red flags on all of my passports so that you could see this through the way you wanted."

Parker looked up at him, she opened her mouth to say something but then relaxed slowly into his embrace. "That's because I insisted…"

"Drove me crazy is what you did."

"You've got to start letting people take care of you, too, Eliot," she insisted softly, her eyes fluttering closed as his hand rubbed circles on her back.

"You've gotta understand what went through my mind when I thought I lost you."

"You didn't lose me though," she insisted and peered up at him. "I'm here." She said it plainly, as though he was silly for worrying when she was sitting there in the room. She straightened up a bit, pulling back slightly to look up at him, her voice more serious, "I'm right here."

Eliot swallowed thickly.

Yes, he had in fact had dreams that had played out this way.

He leaned forward slightly, his arm moving from around her body to bring his hand beneath her chin and tilt her head up more before leaning down and brushing his mouth against hers. She gasped softly when his mouth made contact and he wondered if it was the wrong thing to do before she shifted closer and he used her parted lips as an invitation to kiss her deeply. Her lips tasted like the sugary cereal she often ate and she smelt like jasmine. He shifted so that he could haul her even closer; the fibers of her black sweater were smooth against his bare chest.

She pulled back after a moment and she looked up at him uncertainly and he knew that this sort of thing was uncharted territory for her. Yes, she'd dated Hardison. Yes, she probably knew exactly what her being there pressed against him was doing to him. But this was them – Parker and Eliot. He smirked at her and kissed the tip of her nose, "C'mere, darlin," he drawled, dragging her further onto the bed, she scrambled quickly to join him under the covers and leaned against his chest.

"Does this change everything now?" she asked uncertainly, wondering about everything – their friendship, their team, their feelings.

"Only what we let it change," he responded, truly unsure of how to answer that question. "Why don't you rest in the meantime, and we'll deal with it tomorrow?"

"Okay, but – Eliot. You're naked."

He suddenly became painfully aware that her hand that had rested on his chest slipped below the covers and down his torso, not feeling the waistband of any sort of boxer or brief.

"Yep," he said, his voice stiff.

"Should I get naked too?" she asked.

Eliot thought about the layout of the house, Hardison was on one side and another thin wall separated his guestroom from Mélanie's bedroom. He groaned, "No, Parker. You, uh, you stay like that."

* * *

Parker couldn't deny that her feelings for Eliot were stronger than ever upon seeing him. She'd masked them for years as being similar to that of siblings and best friends. But he made her feel so safe, made her insides feel so warm. He was a light sleeper, but she was quickly able to extract herself from his grasp to slip out of his room. She needed to take some time to work through her hang ups, to talk herself out of all of the reasons she'd given herself for staying away from him and running off.

But even her morning yoga ritual fell flat when she realized her shirt smelt like him from being tucked up against him all night – a realization that made the churning on her insides increase tenfold.

* * *

Come morning, she was out of his bed and he woke up to find the space beside him still warm. Sighing, he forced himself up and pulled on a pair of boxers and pants before walking out of his room and down the hall and stairs to the kitchen. When he reached the first floor landing, he spotted her, in the living room doing yoga or pilates or yogalates or whatever the fuck she did to stay so…bendy. He smirked and walked past her, "Well don't you know how to drive a man insane," he remarked before passing into the kitchen and getting out everything he needed to make the special pancakes he'd promised Mélanie.

He worked in the kitchen, his back to Parker. But he felt her slide onto a stool at the breakfast bar and offered her an Oreo without a word.

Sophie's voice interrupted the silence between them, "Well, glad to see you're both getting along," she quipped before moving around Eliot to make herself a cup of herbal tea. Slowly, Hardison and Nate both filtered into the room, McKenzie still asleep.

The five of them fell into comfortable routine, Sophie lecturing Hardison on not overselling his grifts and talking to him about the team he was running in London. Nate asking Parker a few fleeting questions while Eliot let them sample bits of his ingredients as he worked.

He heard little footsteps padding their way into the kitchen and turned around just in time to see Mélanie. "There's my number one girl," he drawled, offering her an Oreo as well.

She giggled with delight before he hoisted her up onto a stool and let her sit with the adults. Mélanie, as evident from her party the previous day, had plenty of friends her own age, but it was her mother and father's friends that she liked most. Parker was always teaching her funny slight of hand tricks despite Nate's protests that she'd never be a thief. Hardison helped her download all of the episodes of her favorite kids shows onto the iPad he'd bought her for her sixth birthday. And Eliot, well Eliot called her Princess and protected her. She was happy as a clam to sit with them all.

"Uncle Eliot," she giggled. "I'm not your number one girl, though. Isn't that Aunt Parker?"

"From the mouths of babes," Sophie swooned, ever the romantic.

Eliot looked up at Parker who just offered him a half smile before turning back to the little girl. "Well Parker's my number one woman, you're my number one girl."

Mélanie and Parker were both pleased by this, but no one more than Sophie, who looked between Parker and Eliot as though she were observing a tennis match. Eliot scowled, "Dammit Soph!"

By the time that McKenzie woke up to join them, the pancakes were ready and the seven of them sat around the table and ate together, making simple conversation that, luckily, flew over the little girl's head.

Halfway through breakfast, something dawned on Eliot and he excused himself before walking to the guestroom and retrieving something from his overnight bag. He returned down the steps, stowing his secret item behind his back until he stood beside Parker and knelt down. "I believe this is yours."

"Bunny!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she reached and hugged the plush rabbit to her.

"Couldn't leave him behind in Wilmington, could I?"

And then, without warning, Parker leaned up and pressed her mouth against Eliot's. He chuckled when they pulled away and pointed at her pancakes, "Eat." He then turned to Sophie, "Stop!" the woman stopped gawking and took a sip of tea.

After breakfast, they spent the majority of the late morning lounging around and catching up while Mélanie played with her birthday presents. Hardison and McKenzie were the first to leave, in need of catching their flight back to London. Parker glanced over at Eliot, "You want to give me a ride. Quinn drove me here."

Smirking, Eliot nodded at her and after packing up and saying fond farewells to their former partners and Mélanie, they hopped into his pickup and he took off.

"Where to, darlin?" he asked.

She laughed, "Hadn't really thought of that."

They drove in amiable silence for a while before it became too much. He was aware of Parker's sidelong glances and when she finally took a breath, she commanded, "Eliot, pull over."

His eyes darted around and he carefully pulled them into a nearby truck stop off of the interstate.

"What are we doing?" she asked softly.

He looked at her uneasily before deciding, "Whatever you want us to be doing."

"I care about you, Eliot. You're part of my family. You're one of the closest friends I've ever had. You're…" she frowned. "Hardison and I – we got off lucky because we decided on things together. What if…"

Frowning, Eliot undid his seatbelt and slid across the bench seat, his mouth silencing hers. "Now, you listen to me, Parker," he ordered. "Nothing's gonna happen unless you want it happening. But no matter what, from now on, we decide things together. We compromise – if we're going to be friends, family, a team, or whatever the fuck else you want. No more faking your own death and taking off, no more running – at least not from each other."

She smirked up at him, "Only if you agree to ask for and accept my help now and then."

"Okay."

"Alright," she agreed softly. "Then I'm right here, and not going anywhere."

He bobbed his head easily and then suddenly groaned when Parker sent her mouth crashing against his. Within moments, she'd maneuvered so that she was straddling his lap, her hands making quick work of the buttons on his flannel shirt. In the daylight, she could see ever mark and scar on his chest and she danced her fingers lightly along each mar.

He watched her with concern before she bent down and began pressing her lips against the trail her fingers traced. Grunting, he tangled his hands in her hair and pulled her mouth to his. Her hips started moving over his and he knew that he was painfully hard already. To prove it, he grasped her hips and arched up, smirking against her mouth when she gasped from the feel of the bulge in his pants.

It was awkward maneuvering in the cabin of his trunk, but somehow he managed to get her jeans off and his open and down his thighs. He kissed her as though he was a starving man trying to devour her, and he realized he was. He wanted every bit of her and had for a long time and now he was determined not to let her go.

Her nails scraped down his arm and when he couldn't take it anymore, he pushed her back lightly until she was leaning against the dashboard. He slowly and carefully drew his erection from his boxers and then wrapped one arm around her, hauling her close once again. His eyes nearly crossed when her delicate hand reached down and began stroking his long, thick cock. He wasted no time in reaching between them and dragging the crotch of her panties aside, finding her wet and ready for him.

When he slid inside of her, they both gasped from the sensation of it all.

* * *

**Coming up: **Conclusion to the smut. Possibly more smut if ya'll liked it. And a conclusion to the story. Tell me what you think.


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